Hydrocarbon-engine.



R. c. LEWIS. I HYDROGABBON ENGINE. APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 15,1908.

WITNESSES:

INVENTOR. .0m

, Patented Fb. 2, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

V R. G. LEWIS. HYDROGARBON ENGINE. APPLICATION I ILED AUG. 15,1908.

Patented Feb. 2, 1909.

Q-SHEBTS-SHBET 2.

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UNITED sTATEs PATENT oFFron- RALPH o. LEWIS, or MUNCI'E, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR or THREE-FOURTHS To CLOID A.

. ULSH, OF arsI-NesUN, OHIO.

'HY'DBOOARB OBI-ENGINE Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2, 1909.

Application-filed August 15,1908. .Seria1 No.M8, 670.

' companying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which forma part of this specification.

My invention relates ;to internal combustion engines of the .type in which etroleum or other liquid hydrocarbon is use as a fuel, and has particular .referenoe to the constructionof theoil headsor combustion-chambers thereof into which the hydrocarbon oil is, inj ected, converted into a vapor and thoroughly mixed with .air preparatory to the ignition of the. charge.

One of the objects of my invention is to so construct the interior of the oil-head and arrange the admission and exhaust ports that such head is thoroughly cleaned or scavenged of allcarbon deposits-and gases by the exhaust after the ignition of each charge, thus iplfeventing the objectionable clogging and ling up ofthe head by the carbondeposits, which is incident to this kind of engines, and enhanci the commercial value and practicability t ereof.

A further object of my invention is the provision of simple, improved and highly eficient means for injecting the oil into ithe head and maintaining it cool during suchinjection whereb the vaporization will not take place unt' the oil lstrikes theignition or hot-plate, thus effecting amore thorough breaking up of the oil into a vapor or gas and a perfect commingling of the air and :vapor before the ignition of the charge.

A still furthero bject of my invention is to" so fashion or shape the exhaustou-tlet as -'to materially augment the force of the exhaust whereby the scavenging of the cylinder, of burned gases and carbon deposits W'lll be-more thoroughly effected thanhas heretofore been the case. r

The invention is fully described in the following specification, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,- 7

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of the oil-head embodying the features of my invention and the associated end ortion of the cylinder to which it-is attach Fig. 2 is an outer and elevation thereof. Fig. 3 s a similar View with a portion-in section on the line -:n -a: in Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal-section of the oil-inj ector nozzle.

ltefenringto the drawings, 1 designates the oil he'a-d comprising the features of my invention,-,which is secured to the outer end of an engine cylinder 2 with its bore in communication With that of the cylinder 2, as vshown in Fig. 1. The bore of the oil-head is cylindrical inform and either has its inner end enlarged in. tapered orcurved lines to the size of thecylindrlcal bore, or the outer end of the cylinder bore is contracted in such manner, as shown at 3, to avoid any sharp corners or,recesses wherein eddies of exhaust gases might be formed and thus prevent a thorough scavenging of the two cylinders after each exploslon. The outer end of the oil-head is closed by an ignition or hot-plate 4, which is secured thereto by cap-screws 5, or in any other suitable manner, and is subs'tantially semi-spherical in shape with its concave side disposed inwardly. The concavity-of this hot-plate is preferably of less width at its edge than the major diameter of the oil-head bore to enable the bore to, be contracted preferably in a curved line "at such end and coincide with the lines of the concavity, as shown at 6 in Fig. 1, for the purplose hereinafter explained.

'l ahead ,1 is provided in the vbottom of its here with the two ports 7 and 8, the former, which is nearest the hot-plate 4, being the exhaust port, and the latter the air-inlet "port. The port 7 communicates with the exhaust-pipe 9, as shown more clearly in Fig. 3. To facilitate the exhaust action of the gases whereby to effect a more perfect scavenging of the two cylinders of carbondeposits l conically contract the outlet of the exhaust port, as at 7, and then conically. enlargeithe same, as shown at 7 ,;to ,a greaterdiameter than said port, thus first effecting agradualrestriction of the exhaust gasesand then permitting an expansion thereof to create a greater suction and consequently a. more perfect scavenging of the cylinder than would otherwise be the case. The ports 7 and 8 are equipped with the usual valves 10 and 11, respectively, which are opened at properly timed mtervals against plugs 13 and 14 being threaded therein.

the tension of their seating springs by any suitable means.

The top of the oil-head 1 is tapped, as at 12, 12, directly above the valves 10 and 11, to faci.itate an insertion'or removal of such valves, and these openings are closed by the The plug 13 is disposed nearest to the hot-plate 4 and is provided therethrough with an axially disposed opening through which the oil-injection nozzle 15 projects, being held by the gland 16 threading to an annular shoulder on the top of the plug and engaging an annular shoulder 17 on the nozzle, which lattershoulder also limits the inward movement of the nozzle in the plu as shown. This nozzle has the outer end of 1ts throat in communica tion with an oil supply throughthe pipe 18, and has its inner end rovided with a sprayhead 19, as shown in igs; '1- and 4 for directing the oil against the hot-plate 4 as it is discharged from the nozzle. The communication between the nozzle throat and sprayhead is normally closed by the valve 20, which is held to its seat by a spring 21 and intended to open inwardly 'or toward the interior of the oil-head 1 against the tension ofsuch spring to permita discharge of oil therefrom against t e hotlate 4. To effect this discharge of the oil it as a forced feed, such as a pump, the 1pulsations of which are regulated to inject t e charges as the proper running of the engine may require.

To effect a cooling of the oil Within the nozzle 15, I water-jacket the nozzle 15 by providing the plug 13 with an annular chamber 13, which surrounds said plug 15 and is provided with the inlet and outlet Water-pipes 22, 22. This is a very important feature in the roper operation of engines, as the oil is thereby maintained in a liquid state while being thrown through the hot cylinder 1- and until it impinges against the igmtion or hot-head 4. In case this is not done the liquid hydrocarbon begins to vaporize as it leaves the nozzle so that it enters the cylinder in little oil globules or mist and does not impinge against the heated surface'which is intended to break it up into real vapor or gas,

thus preventing a thorough commingling of the air and gas and a consequent thorough combustion of the charge.

The 0 eration of my invention is as folloWs: he hydrocarbon oil being ejected from the nozzle 15 on an impulse of the oil pump, or other forcing means, is directed in iquid form against the hot-plate 4 by which it is broken up to form a fine va or or gas which readily mixes with the air a mitted at approximately the same time through the port 8. On the return stroke of the piston in the cylinder 2 after an ignition of the charge the burned gases rush into the smaller cylinder of the head 1 and escape from the rear end thereof through the exhaust port 7. The curved or tapered form of the walls at the inlet to the cylinder 1 and the semispher'ical form of the hot-plate 4 combined with the coinciding curved inner end portion 6 of the cylinder 1 and the location of the exhaust port at the base of said portion 6, as shown, cause the out rushing gases to carry with them substantially all carbon deposits in the cylinder, thereby materially improving upon the running of engines of this class and requiring the, same to be internally cleaned about once a week only during constant running, whereas it has heretofore been necessary to clean the same about every twenty-four hours. It is apparent that the formation of the exhaust outlet also materially assists in the scavenging process.

I wish it understood that I do not desire to be restricted to the exact details of constructionand arrangement of the parts of the invention shown and described, as obvious modifications will occur to persons skilled in the art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

1. In a hydrocarbon vapor engine, an oil-head having a semispherical ignitionplate at its rear end against which the fuel is discharged, and having the engine exhaust ort located in its bottom near such end and its interior wall contracted between said port and ignition plate to coincide with the curve formed by the concavity of such plate.

2. In a hydrocarbon engine, the combination with the engine cyhnder, of an oilhead having a cylindrical bore of less diameter than the cylinder bore, the meeting ends of said two bores being fashioned to gradually merge into each other to eliminate sharp corners and recesses, said oil-head having a semispherical ignition-plate at its outer end, an exhaust port in its bottom near such end, and its bore contracted in a curved line intermediate said plate and port whereby the wall of the hot-head bore is made to coincide with the semispherical surface of said plate.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RALPH O. LEWIS. 

